Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson helped Cam Ward blossom into what is expected to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Carson Beck was initially projected as a first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft before inconsistency and a season ending injury ended that hope.
Garrett Nussmeier of LSU, Drew Allar of Penn State, Cade Klubnik of Clemson, John Mateer of Oklahoma, Sam Leavitt of Arizona State and LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina were the other QBs mentioned by Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports.
Beck has completed 68.0 percent of his career pass attempts for 7,912 yards, 58 touchdowns and 20 interceptions with a 156.4 passer rating, 245 rushing yards and five touchdowns. It has been well documented that Beck's numbers regressed.
Beck was still recognized as one of the best QBs nationally in 2024, being named a finalist for the Manning Award and to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top 25 list. Georgia was 24-3 in two seasons with Beck as the starting QB. Salerno summarized the projection for Beck in the 2026 NFL Draft.
"Miami helped Ward become the (future) No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Can Beck have similar success? The blueprint is there.Cameron Salerno, CBS Sports
Getting back to first-round status starts with Beck being fully healthy. He missed the end of Georgia's season because of a UCL tear in his right elbow that required surgery. Beck was viewed as a potential first-round pick coming into last season, but an up-and-down final year at Georgia made it logical for him to return to school.
Beck has the talent to be a first-round pick. He completed 72.4% of his passes and threw just six interceptions during the 2023 season. Last year, his completion percentage dropped and the number of interceptions he threw (12) doubled."
Beck will attempt to elevate his career in 2025, similarly to how Ward did in 2024. Miami will provide Beck with a better offensive line. Beck also dealt with a Georgia receiving corps in 2024 that led the nation with 36 drops.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal told Eric MacClain of the ACC Network on his podcast posted on Monday that Beck should receive full clearance in the next couple of weeks. All of the updates indicate Beck is on schedule in his rehabilitation and that he should be ready when the season begins versus Notre Dame on August 31.
Salerno also mentioned that Beck was the top-ranked 2025 transfer QB before Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee for UCLA. Georgia beat Tennessee 31-17 last season. Beck completed 25 passes in 40 attempts for 347 yards and two TDs with no interceptions and ran three times for 32 yards and another score.
The potential 2026 NFL Draft QB class could be absolutely INSANE (pending Quinn Ewers’ decision):
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) January 10, 2025
• Arch Manning (Texas)
• Drew Allar (Penn State)
• Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee)
• Cade Klubnik (Clemson)
• Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)
• Sam Leavitt (ASU)
• Carson Beck (?)
•… pic.twitter.com/c1Iuu7fZHb
Iamaleava completed 20 of his 33 attempts for 167 yards and ran 12 times for 18 yards versus Georgia last season. Iamaleava, who is eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft, is noticeably absent from Salerno's list. Expect Arch Manning of Texas to be the consensus number one pick in 2026 mock drafts.
When the 2025 NFL Draft concludes on Saturday, the mock drafts will start to emerge more prevalently and will change in the next year. Ward was a consensus second-day pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in April 2024. Beck will have to regain the trust of many NFL scouts with 2026 NFL Draft projections.
There has been some analysis that Beck will be a better fit in the Miami offense than he was at Georgia. Dawson has earned trust with QBs after the development of Ward in 2025. Beck will attempt a similar ascension during the 2025 season.